Technical Field
The present invention relates to control of devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing wireless control capabilities to an operating device, such as a water jet cutting machine. Specifically, the present invention relates to providing wireless control of an operating device, incorporating a deadman switch into the wireless control element.
Background Information
Often operating devices commonly used in industry are both manually controlled by a user as well as dangerous to the user. A water jet cutting machine is an example of such an operating device. Water jet cutting is an extremely dangerous activity, as the pressurized stream of water can cut through materials as hard as metal. It follows that any part of a human would easily be cut by this stream of water. Therefore, a user must always keep proper control of the cutting machine and ensure that the user's extremities are out of harm's way. However, water jet cutting machines are controlled via hydraulic or pneumatic tubes running from a control station which the user actuates to control the water jet cutting machine. This control station is typically a desk-like structure with four extending legs and is generally not practically movable. Therefore, the user is in a fixed position which may force the user to take unnecessary risks to remain in the fixed position while the water jet cutting machine passes close thereby. Further, the immovable nature of the control station may severely limit the user's ability to view the actual operations of the cutting machine. Still further, current water jet cutting machines do not account for whether the user is actually in control of the machine. The machine simply keeps cutting and performing its operations whether or not the user is positioned at the controls.
Thus, there is a tremendous need in the art to provide a mechanism for the user or controller of an operating device such as a water jet cutting machine to remain in control of the machine while still remaining mobile and not fixed to a particular position. Further, there is an additional tremendous need in the art to provide a system or method for ensuring the user is in control of the operating device, and has not become incapacitated, disabled, or simply left the machine's controls. There is a need in the art for an easy to assemble solution, possibly by way of a downloadable application installed on a computing device and connected logically to portions of the computing device's hardware,